If you’ve paid us a visit recently you might have noticed a few new sculptures popping up around the park! Well, get set for much more, because these new additions were just the first of many arriving ahead of FORM 2022, our new sculpture exhibition launching on March 30.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, FORM 2022 is set to be even better, bringing together 200+ inspiring works from 30 sculptors. From March 30th to May 29th, you will find an array of large scale and monumental sculptures dotted across our gardens and woodland walks, and rising up from the lakes, while smaller pieces will be shown in Gallery by the Lakes.
With Simon at the helm, the team has brought on board some of the finest contemporary sculptors in the UK, showcasing very special pieces which can be truly appreciated here, under an open sky, in an expansive natural environment not at odds with their scale.
What’s new at FORM 2022
Among the additions for 2022 will be pieces by the late sculptor Heather Jansch. Heather was best-known for her life-sized sculptures of horses in driftwood and bronze, which are much sought-after and held in collections across the world, including Cornwall’s Eden Project, where she was a resident artist.
We’re extremely proud to be able to show two of Heather’s masterful horse sculptures here at Sculpture by the Lakes, and to play a part in preserving her extraordinary legacy.
We are also pleased to bring you pieces by award-winning sculptor Ed Elliott, who specialises in large scale figurative pieces, and fellow figurative sculptor Jonathan Hateley, notable for his use of rich textures, inspired by the natural world. And we’ve already mentioned young British sculptor Carl Longworth’s giant bronze Barn Owl III, which looks wonderful among the silver birch trees.
In addition, Simon himself is set to unveil a new life size figurative sculpture at FORM 2022. Like his much-loved Athena, this new ballerina picece, Parallel Passé, will be created with Voronoi patterns, in a pose inspired by Prima Ballerina Ksenia Ovsyanick, the principal ballerina with the Staatsballett, Berlin, who came to model for Simon at his Dorset studio. FORM will be the first ever public showing of Parallel Passé.
A welcome return
FORM 2022 will also see the return of some sculptors whose works proved popular in 2021. There will be new works by Adam Binder, whose 12ft polar bear Boris was among the star attractions last year, shown on a floating ‘iceberg’ in the lake, as well as new pieces by wildlife artist Nick Bibby, and large-scale sculptures by Fred Gordon.
Also look out for Nadine Collinson’s 2.5m sail-like bronze sculpture Journey, new monumental works by Nicola Godden, and pieces by Lucianne Lassalle, who is among the best figurative sculptors in the UK.
Garden Festival and Fire & Food
And, if all that wasn’t enough, the final five days of FORM from May 25 to 29 will also be combined with The Garden Festival, incorporating ‘Fire and Food’.
This celebration of outdoor living and dining includes a wide range of exhibitors showcasing everything from plants and garden furniture to wattling and hurdle making.
The Fire and Food offering is brand new for 2022 – taking place in a new outdoor kitchen by the riverside where an inspiring line-up of chefs will demonstrate open fire cooking, with plenty of flame cooked food to sample.
Tickets throughout all these events are just £12.50 – the standard price of entry to Sculpture by the Lakes, so we expect this period to be popular. With a cap on daily visitor numbers in place, it’s essential to book ahead. We’ll see you there!